Umatilla, a town of 7.132, is headed toward a future of three medical clinics.

Family Health Associates of Hermiston will open a new clinic in Umatilla on Nov. 15 at the building that formerly housed Encore Wellness 4 Life. Jennifer Armstrong, the nurse practitioner in charge of Encore, plans to open a new wellness clinic at a different location in Umatilla. And Columbia River Health, which recently announced a new partnership with Carlson’s Umatilla Drug, has purchased property to place a clinic of their own in Umatilla.

It’s a lot of changes, but should result in better access to health care for Umatilla residents. It could also have spillover benefits for Hermiston residents, said Umatilla Hospital District board member Danice McBee, as Umatilla residents currently seeking care at the Hermiston Family Health Associates location switch to receiving care in Umatilla.

“They’ve kind of outgrown their space at the hospital (in Hermiston),” McBee said.

The Umatilla Hospital District notified Armstrong in May that they would not be renewing her contract to provide clinic services at the district-owned building at 1890 Seventh St. At the time, McBee said the board had simply decided to “go in a different direction.”

Now they have announced that Family Health Associates, which is led by Dr. Derek Earl, will open a clinic in the building on Nov. 15. For now, the building is closed as it undergoes a new paint job and other adjustments.

McBee said the hospital district board is very happy to see FHA open a Umatilla branch.

“I think it’s going to be great,” she said.

Although Armstrong will no longer contract with the hospital district, Umatilla is not losing her as a provider. She and her husband Mark Keith purchased a large house at 82346 Bucks Lane (just off Highway 730 before Interstate 82) and have remodeled it into Encore Wellness 4 Life Umatilla, a private wellness center that will officially start seeing patients Nov. 1.

Keith said patients can expect to see the same team as the old site, with the addition of provider Jan Atigbi. They will serve as a “wellness team, not a sick-care team,” he said. That will include more traditional medical care in addition to “natural and holistic care” such as supplements, high-nutrient IV therapy and allergy therapy.

Armstrong said she doesn’t see Earl and his team at Family Health Associates as competition. Right now she refers patients to him and he refers patients to her, she said, and she plans to continue their collaboration. She said when Columbia River Health builds a clinic they will also complement and expand services already provided in Umatilla.

“It’s not at all ‘us against them,’” she said. “We’re all working together to provide care for the community.”

Columbia River Health CEO Seth Whitmer said CRH has already purchased property for the planned clinic to be built sometime in the next few years.

The company provides a community health center in Boardman and this year took over medical sponsorship of the school-based health clinics in Pendleton.

Columbia River Health has also acquired the former Carlson’s Umatilla Drug.

Cathy Putnam, who has owned the pharmacy and drug store since 1985, is joining the Columbia River Health family and will continue running the pharmacy.

“People will still be able to see her familiar face,” Whitmer said.

The drug store has featured a gift shop in the past, and Whitmer said that will be removed, but other than that day-to-day customers likely won’t see much of a difference in who is serving them or the medicines they are receiving. Once CRH builds its new clinic, Whitmer said, the pharmacy will be moved from its current location at 821 Sixth St. to inside the clinic.

To celebrate the transition from Carlson’s Umatilla Drug to Columbia River Pharmacy, the pharmacy will have a community open house Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will include hot chocolate, vitamins for children and flu shots from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

———

Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.